


The Middle Child

by Ink_Gypsy



Category: The Romantics
Genre: Gen, drouble, elijah characters, fffc, the romantics - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-12
Updated: 2011-08-12
Packaged: 2017-10-22 13:33:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/238572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ink_Gypsy/pseuds/Ink_Gypsy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After he makes a drunken toast to his sister and her fiance, a young man considers his place in his family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Middle Child

**Author's Note:**

> Chip Hayes is a character played by Elijah Wood in the film, _The Romantics_ , which takes place during the weekend of Lila Hayes’s wedding. Chip is her brother, and a member of the wedding party. For those who haven’t seen the film, following the drouble is a video clip of Chip’s unfortunate toast to the happy couple. Originally written for the FFFC community at LJ, prompt: drunk.

[   
](http://photobucket.com)

Chip Hayes leaves the table after his toast and stumbles outside. The ocean breeze is cool on his face. It’s refreshing, but does nothing to lessen the effects of the fifth of Scotch he downed several hours before the pre-wedding banquet.

No one comes looking for him, but he doesn’t expect them to. Chip knows that right now his mother is apologizing for her son’s behavior, telling the guests that he’s had a little too much to drink, as if that wasn’t perfectly obvious to everyone in the room. But what only family and close friends know is that this isn’t an unusual occurrence. He started celebrating his sister’s wedding early, she’ll tell them, and most of the guests will believe it.

His parents never expected much from Chip. Lila is their pride and joy, and Minnow their golden girl in training. He’s the middle child who never found his way, except to the nearest bar. He figures if he’d been a successful son then become a screw-up, it would have been too hard on his mother and father. So being a screw-up his entire life is actually easier on them. Since their expectations are so low, they’re never disappointed.

[   
](http://s755.photobucket.com/albums/xx195/elwoodlovesirish/?action=view&current=ChipsToast.mp4)


End file.
